Boncoura 43XX WWII Natural Indigo Dyed Selvedge Denim - 15th Anniversary Model

- The Boncoura 43XX WWII is a special model created to celebrate the brand’s 15th anniversary, combining the atmosphere of wartime denim with natural indigo dyeing. While traditional natural indigo dyeing often uses the “kase-zome” method, this special model instead uses a natural indigo rope-dyeing technique in order to keep the core of the yarn white. This allows the denim to develop stronger fades, whiskers, and vertical contrast compared to traditional kase-dyed natural indigo denim, while still keeping the deep color and texture unique to genuine natural indigo.

The fabric is built around Boncoura’s signature “Ikemen Denim,” developed from the yarn stage with careful attention paid to cotton selection, blending, and spinning methods. The warp yarn is dyed using genuine natural indigo made from sukumo, a traditional fermented indigo material. Preparing the sukumo alone requires around three to four months, during which craftsmen carefully monitor the temperature and humidity every single day. By combining traditional natural indigo techniques with modern rope-dyeing methods, Boncoura has created this special denim with a fading character that cannot normally be experienced with traditional kase-dyed natural indigo denim.

For the silhouette, the 43XX is designed with a slightly wider shape to capture the heavier presence and rugged balance often seen in wartime denim. The back pockets are intentionally designed with slight distortion to reflect the rough atmosphere and imperfections found in garments produced during the WWII era. Other details include newly designed iron buttons created specially for this model, along with a calligraphy-style “AI” kanji print inside the pocket bag to commemorate Boncoura’s 15th anniversary — a hidden detail carrying the spirit and meaning behind this special release.

Notes:

“Kase dyeing” is a traditional natural indigo dyeing method where the yarn is bundled into loose skeins and dyed deeply by hand many times. The indigo penetrates deep into the yarn core, creating a rich natural indigo color, but usually with softer fades and less contrast compared to rope-dyed denim.